You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.17 AVERAGE
4.17 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Earthsea cycle is now in my top fantasy books/series of all time. Really don't understand why no one seems to be talking about them. An original high fantasy that inspired many stories (Patrick Rothfuss' the Name of the Wind, for example) with amazing world building, characters and prose, exploring themes like death, power, shame and destiny.
**Very slight spoilers ahead. I went in with only the blurb of the first book, but you can definitely read through if you want to know more of the series**
The first three books, (though the second is quite different already) are more or less 'classic' high fantasy stories following the powerful wizard Sparrowhawk and his live's adventures.
Then imagine this fourth book, the last one in the bundled copy I got, as the story áfter all that adventuring is over. What happens to a hero who's grown old and lost himself in his saving the world? A story that goes fully introspective, focussing on the home and the mundane while covering topics like trauma, shame, power, and very welcome, feminism. Especially this last bit was what I had hoped for in Ursula K. Le Guin books but what was lacking in the male-dominated magic world of the rest of the series. This last book takes all those parts of the world Le Guin builds and questions them though the eyes of middle aged widow Tenar, also the protagonist of the second book. There's a farm, a dragon, and a sassy witch called Moss. And apparently this book is not truly the last one of the cycle.
Cannot stress enough that everyone should read these books. I have never read anything that came close to what the LOTR trilogy was for me, but this did. But then imagine a fourth book, about Frodo dealing with his traumas in a cottagecore setting in Hobbiton. Something like that. Go read these books, thanks.
**Very slight spoilers ahead. I went in with only the blurb of the first book, but you can definitely read through if you want to know more of the series**
The first three books, (though the second is quite different already) are more or less 'classic' high fantasy stories following the powerful wizard Sparrowhawk and his live's adventures.
Then imagine this fourth book, the last one in the bundled copy I got, as the story áfter all that adventuring is over. What happens to a hero who's grown old and lost himself in his saving the world? A story that goes fully introspective, focussing on the home and the mundane while covering topics like trauma, shame, power, and very welcome, feminism. Especially this last bit was what I had hoped for in Ursula K. Le Guin books but what was lacking in the male-dominated magic world of the rest of the series. This last book takes all those parts of the world Le Guin builds and questions them though the eyes of middle aged widow Tenar, also the protagonist of the second book. There's a farm, a dragon, and a sassy witch called Moss. And apparently this book is not truly the last one of the cycle.
Cannot stress enough that everyone should read these books. I have never read anything that came close to what the LOTR trilogy was for me, but this did. But then imagine a fourth book, about Frodo dealing with his traumas in a cottagecore setting in Hobbiton. Something like that. Go read these books, thanks.
sad
Another re-read. There's a sadness to this one, with Tenar being widowed, the death of Ogion, Therru being a burnt child who can barely speak, Ged having lost his powers, and Tenar's son Spark returning from the sea and telling her he's taking over. It's a gentle, realistic, melancholy read, and if you're looking for magic you'll be disappointed; the magic is more in the relationships than anything. The bright note comes at the end.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I DNFed this as a teenager; now it's my favorite Earthsea book so far. The shift in tone, pace, and perspective is wild. The first three books were really intended for young adults, and this is clearly meant for adults who read the others as children.
I especially enjoy the slice of life bits of the book.
I especially enjoy the slice of life bits of the book.
honestly don’t know how to rate this!!! This book goes so counter to a typical plot structure, with it centered around women and children’s lives and moving much more slowly than most books. However, such complex gender dynamics are at play and being critiqued in this and I think she’s a fucking genius even though in some ways I found the book unsatisfying.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I read this in 4 days… compared to 14 for the Farthest shore.. so that should tell you how much I enjoyed this!! Seeing Ged and Tenar back together omggg I wondered what she had got up too. ALSO I was NOT expecting to see Arren omgomg and he’s the king now I just love them all 😔 seeing Ged so lost made me sad and I mean nothing really happened in this book in terms of “saving the world” but I enjoyed seeing them just live life with Tehanu. Although I was super confused about the timeline at the beginning HAHAHA I got it eventually though. This was just so entertaining I couldn’t put it down it had such an eerie vibe with Handy or whatever his name was lol
Ok, I admit it. I really enjoyed the first Earthsea book, but books 2 and 3 had me pretty bogged down. I liked the plot, but the execution was a bit dry for me.
Tehanu started off the same way; however, since I do like Tenar and Ged, I kept going. The book picked up as it went along, and the last ten pages made me want to re-read the whole series!
I'd almost suggest just reading books 1 and 4, but you've just got to stick through it, or you'll only know half the story. :)
Tehanu started off the same way; however, since I do like Tenar and Ged, I kept going. The book picked up as it went along, and the last ten pages made me want to re-read the whole series!
I'd almost suggest just reading books 1 and 4, but you've just got to stick through it, or you'll only know half the story. :)
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
If Tombs of Atuan was Le Guin's exploration of what it's like to be a woman trapped by society, then this is an exploration of gender and power dynamics in the world of Earthsea. I've been listening to the podcast Shelved by Genre, which got me interested in this series again. It's interesting reading this book with the understanding that it was 18 years between the writing of this one and the last book.
Even though the second book is all about Tenar, this feels like the first book where she actually explores her autonomy and questions her identity and where she belongs in the world.
I don't think I'll ever love Le Guin's works, but she'll always have my respect for her intellect and thoughtfulness. I think this might be my favorite out of the books she's written
Even though the second book is all about Tenar, this feels like the first book where she actually explores her autonomy and questions her identity and where she belongs in the world.
I don't think I'll ever love Le Guin's works, but she'll always have my respect for her intellect and thoughtfulness. I think this might be my favorite out of the books she's written